To correct Lincoln somewhat, he should have said, \x34. . . that government of the people, by the politicians, and for the politicians shall not perish from the earth.

Government's view of the economy: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. — Ronald Reagan

In the United States, the majority undertakes to supply a multitude of ready-made opinions for the use of individuals, who are thus relieved from the necessity of forming opinions of their own. -- Alexis de Toqueville

pro·pa·gan·da noun \ˌprä-pə-ˈgan-də, ˌprō-\ : ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to help a cause, a political leader, a government, etc. --Miriam-Webster Free Dictionary.

Joseph Goebbels didn’t invent propaganda, but he made a science of it during his years as Minister of Propaganda for Hitler’s Third Reich. He controlled all German media: all radio and all newspapers had to toe his line. In Russia, the Communists under Joseph Stalin did essentially the same thing with Pravda and State ownership of radio and newspapers.

In western movies, we often see people arrive in wagons, setting up shop, and selling miracle cures: "snake oil", for example. After they leave town, they stop and mix up some concoction, pour it in bottles, and thus have more to sell in the next town. The claims the snake oil salesmen make while selling the stuff are similar to the claims politicians make during their campaigns. They know they're lying. Obama's many promises are much like snake oil.

Today, we have many more forms of media than the Nazis had: in addition to television, we have internet, blogs, and social media. The State can’t control all of them, as yet. Modern propaganda is more subtle, but we still get a lot of it. Government doesn’t own it all, but still, Democrats control much of it.

Republicans aren’t very good at it, but the Left is, particularly under Obama. The American people are gullible, and have been gulled. His campaign promises were compelling, but he has accomplished few of them. I could cherry-pick a few, such as government transparency, employment, America’s standing in the world, and breaking the partisan logjam – all of which he failed to accomplish – but I’ll focus on the Affordable Care Act and the various scandals under his administration.

Obama and the Democrats use the Big Lie constantly. The attack on our embassy in Benghazi – a spontaneous riot caused by an obscure amateur movie, not a deliberate terrorist attack? Fast and Furious – Holder didn’t know? The IRS discrimination against conservatives – blamed on low level employees? The Affordable Care Act – you can keep your doctor, you can keep your health care policy, and costs will come down? Lots of luck.

Tell the public only what you want them to know. That’s the general principle of propaganda. Network news, cable news (except for Fox), and most major newspapers are dominated by the Left, and they slant the news to the extent they can get away with it: emphasizing things the Democrats favor, suppressing anything bad about them. Their references to Obama are favorable; they usually don’t worry or complain about his lies, his failure to lead, his constant attack on his political enemies, or his holier-than-thou attitude. Obama and the Democrats are always claiming improvement where there isn’t any, and taking credit for everything good that happens.